Improvement in water-tanks foj



PATENT QEEroE.

JOHN BURNHAM, or BATAVIA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN' WTER-TANKS FOR RAILRQADS.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 93,052, dated July 27,1869.

To all whom yit may concern:

A water-tank, and Fig. 2 a top external view with a portion of the coverbroken oft' to 'show the dead-air chamber beneath.

'My invention reta-tes to tanks and apl'iaratus.

at railway stations designed for supplying water to locomotives; and itconsists mainly inthe novel arran gen'ient and applica-tion of devicesintended to serve as eicient means for supplying water to locomotives,and of preserving such water from freezing whileit remains in suchtanks.

The letter H ofthe drawings represents a watercistern, usually placed inthe" ground. In ease the tank is placed over living vater, such as astream or pond, this cistern may bc dispensed.

with. Upon lthe cistern H (or, in case there be no eist-ern, over theliving fountain)` I erect a trame, of which the letters l) represent theposts, and letters M cross-bars, to serve as supports for the tank, nextmentioned. The letterA represents my water-tank, arranged upon itsframe, at such an altitude above the railway track as to bring itsbottom above the boiler of the locomotive, to enable the Water to passby its own gravity from the tank to such boiler. It is usually ofaeircular form, constructed of staves, marked a on the drawings, andsurrounded with hoops, marked Z1. The letters C ofthe drawings representchambers, both at the top and bottom of my tank, formed by theconstruction of double covers and bottoms for said tank, and intended toserve as receptacles' for imprisoned air. I may, an d sometimes do,construct similar chambers, ex tending around the sides of the tank; butfor all ordinary use the chambers at top and bottom are sufficient forthe purpose contemplated. In a. tolerably mild climate the chamber inthe top alone will answer therequiredpurpose. In the lower chamber C Iarrange supports, represented by letter s; and .in both. the uppercovers I con. struct inanlholes,.and 'close them with removabletrap-doors, as shoivn ati/v, Care must be `taken in all cases tokeep thechamber C air-tight, except when opened by the trap-door The letter Erepresents the pipe through which the Water is passed, by pumping, fromthe cistern to the tank; and letterF an es apc-pipe, that conducts theWater from the tank to the cistern, when it has reached the desiredheight `in said tank.v The letter Grepresents thev conduit throughwhich'r the 'ateris passed from the tank -tothe locomotive. The letters'n represent ladders, arranged.

respectively in the' tank and cistern.- The space between the bottom ofthe tank and the top of the cistern, innnedia'lt-ely around the pipes Eand F, is inclosed in an air-tight chamber, and, it' necessary, it islillcd with suitable. packing, to preventsaid pipes from becominginoperative by the freezing otwater therein. I also, when desirable,pack the chambers@ with suchcom -modities as will aid in preventing,rthe'water in the tank from becomingtrozo, as that is the solo end andobject of said chambers.

I do not claim, broadly, the invention'of the chambers l, for I am awarethat chambers of a similar form have been used in Arefrig };erators5 nordo I claim, broadly, the invention of the pipes E and F; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire.v

to secure by Letters Patent, is-V A The Water-tank for railway stations,herein described, having chambers G, mah-holes, and trapdoors pipes Eand F, and conduit G, whenconstructed and arranged substantially as andfor the purposes speeilied.

' JOHN BURNHAM.

Witnesses:

. DANIELHALLADY.

J AMES CLURE.

